Apparatus for sectionizing citrus fruit



April 24, 1962 R. POLK, JR 3,

APPARATUS FOR SECTIONIZING CITRUS FRUIT Filed April 23, 1958 19 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR RALPH POLK, JR.

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ATTORNEY April 24, 1962 R. POLK, JR 3,030,990

APPARATUS FOR SECTIONIZING CITRUS FRUIT Filed April 23, 1958 19 Sheets-Sheet 2 I n Ii INVENTOR RALPH POLK, JR.

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INVENTOR RALPH POLK, JR.

ATTORNEY April 24, 1962 R. POLK, JR 3,030,990

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ATTORNEY April 24, 1962 R. POLK, JR 3,030,990

APPARATUS FOR SECTIONIZING CITRUS FRUIT Filed April 23, 1958 19 Sheets-Sheet 8 INVENTOR RALPH POLKJR.

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APPARATUS FOR SECTIONIZING CITRUS FRUIT Filed April 25, 1958 19 Sheets-Sheet 11 I I g, I 6 ulunm l un INVENTOR RALPH POLK, JR.

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APPARATUS FOR SECTIONIZING CITRUS FRUIT Filed April 23, 1958 19 Sheets-Sheet l3 INVENTOR RALPH POLK, JR.

ATTORNEY April 24, 1962 APPARATUS Filed April 23, 1958 R. POLK, JR 3,030,990

FOR SECTIONIZING CITRUS FRUIT l9 Sheets-Sheet 14 F'IE'I EI1 INVENTOR RALPH POLK,JR.

ATTORNEY April 24, 1962 R. POLK, JR

APPARATUS FOR SECTIONIZING CITRUS FRUIT Filed April 23, 1958 19 Sheets-Sheet 15 wvw INVENTOR RALPH POLK,JR.

ATTORNEY April 24, 1962 R. POLK, JR

APPARATUS FOR SECTIONIZING CITRUS FRUIT 19 Sheets-Sheet 16 Filed April 23, 1958 SIG INVENTOR RALPH POLK, JR.

ATTORNEY surrounded by a membrane.

United States Patent 3,030,990 APPARATUS FOR SECTIONIZING CITRUS FRUIT Ralph Polk, In, Box 3208, Tampa, Fla. Filed Apr. 23, 1958, Ser. No. 730,298 17 Claims. (Cl. 146-3) This invention pertains to the processing of fruit and more particularly relates to a method of and apparatus for sectioniizing citrus fruit, such as grapefruit.

The meat or juice-bearing portion of citrus fruit is composed of groups of interconnected juice sacs, each group being in the form of a segmental section Which is The portions of the segment wall, which extend more or less radially from the pithy core of the Whole fruit and define the plane faces of the segment, are referred to as radial membranes, while the portion of the segment Wall which lies adjacent the peel of the fruit and defines the spherical face of the segment is called the outer membrane.

In the citrus fruit industry, sectionizing is an operation by which the naturally-shaped, membrane-free meat segments are removed from citrus fruit, particularly grapefruit, and this operation is generally performed by first peeling oif the outer skin and albedo, subjecting the fruit to a hot lye treatment to remove the outer membrane from the segments, and stripping individually the seg mental juice sac groups from their radial membranes. The stripping operation is usually carried out manually by inserting a blade between the meat segment and each radial membrane and cutting the meat segment loose. Such manual sectionizing is ineflicient since the speed at which the operators must work makes it impossible for them to handle small irregular meat segments or to carefully cut loose even the larger meat segments.

Machines previously proposed for sectionizing grapefruit have met with limited success due to the fact that the segments in grapefruits vary in number between nine and sixteen in the average fruit and usually are of unequal size and shape. In addition, the radial membranes seldom extend in true radial directions or in flat planes. These and other variable characteristics of the fruit make it difficult to use a sectionizing machine to obtain Wellformed, membrane-free meat segments in their natural size without excessive rupturing of the juice sacs of the meat.

The present invention provides a method and apparatus which is particularly adapted to efficiently sectionize grapefruit. In accordance with the teaching of the present invention, a first set of flat blades is moved down into a grapefruit at points encircling the central core of the fruit, each blade being inserted between two adjacent radial membranes of the fruit at the apex V-shaped meat segment enclosed by the membranes. When the blades have penetrated a short distance into the grapefruit, each blade is positively moved laterally toward one of the membranes to contact or find the membrane. Then the downward movement of the blades axially of the grapefruit is resumed and, when the blades have penetrated through the grapefruit, each blade is positively turned to a position generally parallel to the radial mem brane and is moved toward the periphery of the grapefruit while it is resiliently pressed against the membrane. The lateral movement of each blade, to seek out and contact a membrane before the blade is moved toward the periphery, prevents the cutting of the meat segments at any point other than adjacent a membrane. Also, the positive turning of each blade after the membrane has 3,030,990 Patented Apr. 24, 1962 ice been contacted prevents rupturing of the membrane which will occur if the membrane itself must deflect the blade to a radial position. When one set of blades has separated the meat segments from one of the radial membranes, additional sets of blades are moved down into the grapefruit at preselected positions so that additional membranes are contacted and separated from the meat segments. As a result of the efficient action of the several blades, the grapefruit is sectionized in a manner that produces well-formed meat segments which are of substantially natural size and contain a minimum of ruptured juice sacs.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of sectionizing citrus fruit, such as grapefruit.

Another object is to provide an efficient machine for separating meat segments from the core and membranes of a grapefruit.

Another object is to provide an improved apparatus for breaking the bond between the juice sacs and the membrane wall of the meatsegments of a grapefruit.

Another object is to provide an efficient mechanism for controlling the movement of a sectionizing blade, or the like, of a sectionizing machine.

Another object is to provide an improved apparatus for loosening or disturbing the seeds of a grapefruit from their bond with the meat segments so that the seeds will fall free when the meat segment is removed.

Another object is to provide an improved method of breaking the bond between a meat segment of a citrus fruit and an adjoining radial membrane.

Another object is to provide an improved means for separating meat segments cut from a grapefruit from seeds and other fragments of the grapefruit.

Other and further objects and advantages will become apparent from the following descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective of the grapefruit sectionizing machine of the present invention, with parts broken away.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the machine of FIG. 1.

'FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical section taken along line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation of a portion of the machine of FIG. 2, taken looking in the direction of lines 44 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective of a portion of the feed turret shown in FIG. 4 with parts broken away and parts shown in section.

FIG. 6 is a reduced fragmentary vertical section taken along line 66 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a horizontal section taken along line 7--7 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary vertical section taken along line 88 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged elevation of a portion of the transfer turret of FIG. 4 with parts broken away and parts shown in section.

FIG. 10 is a horizontal section taken along line 1010 of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is an elevation taken looking in the direction of arrows 11-11 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section taken along line 12-1'2 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 12A is a horizontal section taken on line 12A 12A of FIG. 12.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal section 

